Last Saturday, the 23rd of March, the Red Lions played their first home game in the professional history of our club. Although Wang Hao scored the first professional goal of our club, this wasn’t enough to beat experienced opponent Ningxia Fire Phoenix (End score 1:3).
[Match Report] After kick-off we started off strong with Shi Hanjun, Wang Chenyang and Lian Chen connecting well and launching attacks. In the 6th minute this resulted into a corner that caused a scrimmage in the penalty area. Two shots were missed from up close. Twelve minutes later, Ningxia was luckier at the other side: a hard cross from their winger bounced off the foot from Shi Xin and into our own goal (0-1).
In the remaining first half, our team showed the same spirit as Ningxia, which earned us justice in the 42nd minute. A free kick from Ge Shengxiang found the head of Wang Hao, with the latter putting us back in the game (1-1).
That first-half equalizer boosted our morale, but our opponent proved to be better adjusted to the pressures of professional football. In the second half we paid a price for our inexperience, with Ningxia scoring two goals in a row (58th and 63th minute).
Notwithstanding our unlucky moments, the attending press was positive about our squad: ‘Judging from the whole process of the game, the brightside of the Red Lions is that the team's competitive attitude is very good and the players are very keen to win.’ Visiting coach, Zhao Changhong, was also mild in his critique: "The Qingdao Red Lions may be new to the League, but their tactical discipline is already very strong. I think their level gap from the Second Division League is not very big."
Head coach Robin concluded: "We only just entered the Second Pro Leauge and many of our players are not yet used to this tight schedule. There were certainly details that have not been dealt with properly, but in the first half we were very organized and created enough opportunities. I am confident that we will play better and better as the season continues."
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